Peter Krey's Doctoral Dissertation "Sword of the Spirit, Sword of Iron", is now available at Scholardarity

This dissertation is a pamphlet investigation dealing with Martin
Luther’s ideology and theology of the Word. It studies Luther as a
pamphlet writer, whose popular sermon pamphlets addressed the laity with
affective, performative language. His “preaching in print” greatly
extended the scope of his spontaneous reforming movement. As a
self-representation of Luther, this investigation is a prerequisite for
his reception. By number of editions and language, this investigation
ranks the popularity of almost 70 of Luther’s publications from
1517-1525.This dissertation contains two parts, a handbook on his
pamphlets and a thematic section containing the argument. Part One,
containing detailed bibliographical research for 32 of these pamphlets,
and for his longer works, Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and for
Bondage of the Will, is a helpful handbook for their future study.Part
Two, the thematic section, deals with the interrelationship of the four
themes from the title: Word of God, Scripture, Gospel, and Law, tracing
these themes through the thirty most often published pamphlets. Four
pamphlets from the year 1520 receive systematic analysis: “Sermon on the
Ban,” i.e., about excommunication; On Good Works, and their
spontaneity; “The New Testament, i.e., the Holy Mass;” and “Freedom of a
Christian Person,” the popular version, which is mostly unknown among
English readers. I argue that Luther carved out an inward realm of
Christian freedom that promoted a sense of self and a sense of social
agency which stressed spontaneity and freedom against what Luther
perceived to be a juridical ethos of the church of his day. [Let alone a
juridical ethos, I discovered that he was up against two ecclesiastical
courts under the canon law.] Because of the ideological nature of
propaganda pamphlets, this ethos could not be connected with the old
archdeaconal and episcopal courts, the temporal jurisdiction of
prince-bishops, and papal legislation being challenged by temporal
authorities. But, surprisingly,since Luther’s term “spiritual law” meant
“canon law,” his hostility can be seen to escalate through these
pamphlets until he publicly burns the canon law on December 10th, 1520.
He felt it excluded the laity from the spiritual estate, making them
feel as if they were not even Christians. His pamphlets called for
communion in both kinds, demanding an inclusive Christian estate for the
priesthood of all believers. The central concern of this dissertation,
however, is not the polemics of these pamphlets, but Luther’s
awe-inspiring religious contribution.